Dubrovnik Garden Restaurant in Eastlake specializes in eastern European cuisine

Jan. 3—EDITOR'S NOTE — This is one in a series looking at how immigrants and children of immigrants have settled in Northeast Ohio and brought their native dishes and cooking styles with them.

For nearly 40 years, Dubrovnik Garden Restaurant in Eastlake has become a popular destination for customers who enjoy food from Eastern European countries such as Croatia, Austria and Hungary.

Dubrovnik Garden's Facebook page describes the restaurant as "a fusion of eastern European cuisine with American favorites." However, it's likely that for most patrons, Dubrovnik Garden's international menu items — with names like cevapcici, raznjici and palacinke — are the main attractions.

Located at 34900 Lake Shore Blvd., Dubrovnik Garden Restaurant is part of a building also that houses the American-Croatian Lodge's two banquet halls.

The restaurant, Main Ballroom and West End Hall all are owned by American-Croatian Lodge Inc., a for-profit entity composed of shareholders.

The lodge became a corporation in 1982, and two years later, the entity completed construction of its main building in Eastlake, which today encompasses the restaurant and banquet halls.

"The idea was to build the building, so Croats would have a place to gather on the east side of Cleveland," said Dubrovnik Garden Restaurant Manager Tina Skorin. "So we have two party centers and a restaurant."

Although the American-Croatian Lodge still serves many people whose primary ancestry is Croatian, both its banquet halls and restaurants are open to the general public.

The restaurant derives its name from Dubrovnik, a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea.

The eatery prides itself not only on high-quality food but also its comfortable atmosphere, Skorin noted.

"We want to make everyone feel welcome and at home," she said.

The restaurant offers a tasty assortment of European cuisine, aiming to satisfy people who grew up eating these ethnic foods, as well as customers sampling an entree for the first time.

Skorin said the restaurant's top-selling item is wiener schnitzel. Wiener schnitzel is known for a being a favorite national dish in Austria. Pork schnitzel also is served.

In addition, Dubrovnik Garden serves cevapcici, a type of sausage that's popular in southeastern European countries.

"(Cevapcici) is a mix of pork, beef and veal, and a lot of garlic," Skorin said.

Other European-style meals featured on Dubrovnik Garden's menu include:

—Slovenian sausage and kraut.

—Raznjici — The name for pork kebabs that are popular in southeastern Europe.

—Beef goulash — Dubrovnik's goulash is a blend of sauteed onions, carrots, celery and beef in gravy, and served over noodles.

—Chicken paprikash — A popular dish that traces its origins to Hungary.

When it comes to side dishes, Skorin said Dubrovnik Garden specializes in home fries. It also serves up homemade soups, such as bean and chicken and dumplings.

In the dessert category, Dubrovnik Garden Restaurant features strudel and palacinke, which is the name for crepes in southeastern Europe.

While the restaurant offers a variety of food that's popular throughout Europe, the business has never lost sight of its Croatian roots.

For example, Dubrovnik Garden sponsored several watch parties to cheer on the Croatian soccer team when it advanced deep into the 2022 World Cup tournament.

Croatian Christmas carolers also performed this holiday season at the restaurant.

And if native Croats visit America for the first time and end up eating at Dubrovnik Garden Restaurant in Eastlake, they won't be hindered by a language barrier.

"Almost all of our employees speak Croatian," Skorin said.

For more information on Dubrovnik Garden Restaurant, visit dubrovnikgardens.croatianlodge.com; go to its Facebook page; or call 440-946-3366.